


tulips

by wonusaku



Series: flowers [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, midorima has no soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:20:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28164636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonusaku/pseuds/wonusaku
Summary: Midorima, a firm believer of luck and fate, finds out in his eighteenth birthday that he isn't destined to be with his boyfriend, Takao, or anyone at all.
Relationships: Midorima Shintarou/Takao Kazunari
Series: flowers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119548
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	tulips

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted as a twit fic on my account, @/1OKAGAMI!! I just added a few revisions.
> 
> Soulmate mechanics:
> 
> Before their eighteenth birthday, a flower bud is supposed to grow on an individual's body. Once them and their assigned partner are both at least eighteen, the buds will bloom into identical flowers. It isn't common, but it is possible for the buds to never bloom or to not have a bud at all.

**_July 1st, on the way to school._ **

Midorima Shintarou is a firm believer of fate, luck, zodiacs, and every other mysterious external force you could think of. His beliefs are an important aspect of his life and Takao Kazunari, his boyfriend of three years, knows this well. He knows how the other would eagerly listen to the daily Oha Asa predictions and Takao would gladly join him in searching for his chosen lucky item. Though the other's rituals and requests felt quite ridiculous at times, nothing beats seeing the smile on Midorima's face whenever things work out well.

As usual, Midorima was listening to his trusted horoscope podcast, except a nervous expression was spread across his face as he frantically taped his fingers up while he walked with Takao.

How couldn't he be nervous? He's turning eighteen in a week and there's still no sign of any flower buds growing on his body. You know, the kind of flowers that dictate who he's destined to be with for the rest of his life.

The soulmate flower. Being a sucker for fate and luck, Midorima knows it's lore well. Before you turn eighteen, a flower bud grows on your body body. Once both you and your soulmate are at least eighteen, the buds bloom into matching flowers. Though it isn't common, there has been research conducted in the past decade on individuals whose flowers never bloom, and even worse, individuals who don't even get a bud.

Midorima's mind lingers on the concept as he impatiently waits for Oha Asa's intro to wrap up. He sighs in frustration and unconsciously, his unwrapped hand inches closer to his face.

Takao catches this. Knowing that this is a rare instance of the other neglecting his nail care and biting his nails out of intense frustration, he gently pushes the other's hand away from his mouth before he even gets the chance to damage them.

"Hey," Takao begins, "what's up with you?"

Midorima's about to wave it off and claim that it's nothing when the younger boy grabs his wrist and pulls him to the side. Takao looks at him and Midorima's expression already told him everything he needed to know. His furrowed brows that were telling of his frustration. His trembling lips that showed he was uneasy. His eyes that turned glassy as tears were slowly building up. The way the other looked at him like all sorts of emotions were building up.

"Shin-chan," Kazunari whispers as he pulls the earphones out of the others ears, "talk to me, please?"

"Is it the soulmate thing again?" Takao asks. Midorima averts his gaze as he struggles to utter a response but Kazunari redirects the other's line of sight to him when he gently holds Midorima's face.

"I know that fate and all that is important to you, but you'll be fine, Shin-chan. Who knows? Maybe a flower bud will pop up in the next minute," Takao says, hoping to lighten the other's mood. He sighs when Midorima's expression doesn't change, but then again he wasn't expecting much anyways.

Takao purses his lips as he gently fixes Midorima's bangs. "I love you. You know that that won't change, right?"

Midorima opens his mouth to interject but Takao continues speaking before the other could get a word out. "Can you promise me something?" he asks, knowing that the other would listen.

Takao intertwined his fingers with Midorima's trembling ones. "No matter what happens, promise me you won't let it get to you too much."

Midorima sees the look on his boyfriend's face and sighs. Fate and luck are important to him, but so is Takao. Even if he feels like he should listen to his beloved stars in the sky, he couldn't just say no the boy he loves so much. "I promise," he whispers as he pulls the other into his arms. "Can you promise me the same?"

Takao chuckles. "You know that the whole soulmate isn't _that_ important to me, right?"

Midorima shakes his head. "I mean don't worry about whatever happens to _me_. I don't want you worrying too much about it either."

Takao thinks about it for a second. Though he wants to say no, he nuzzles his face into the older's neck. "Of course," he whispers back.

The two nearly forgot about the time and before they knew it, it was a matter of minutes before classes began.

The two chuckled. Mind focused on his boyfriend, Midorima forgets about the prediction he was listening to and takes Kazunari's hand in his. "Let's go?" Kazunari nods and the two head to school.

Hung up on his promise to not worry about the whole ordeal, Midorima had forgotten to keep up with Oha Asa until a few days later. It wasn't untilvhe decided to catch up with the daily predictions that he found out that on the day he and Kazunari made their promises, both Scorpio and Cancer were foreseen to have bad fortune that day.

•••

**_July 6th, moments before midnight._ **

23:55. Takao was resting his head on Midorima's chest. The older's fingers fumbled through the other's hair as he listened to the ticking of the clock on the wall. The younger, on the other hand, was listening to his boyfriend's heartbeat, which was rapid and unsteady.

Takao sighs and props himself up, facing the green haired boy.

"Hey," he whispers as he takes the other's hand in his. "It'll be fine."

Midorima sits himself up as well. As tall as he may be, he almost shrinks when he buries his face in his knees. "What if I don't get one?"

23:56. Kazunari smiles and leans on Midorima's shoulder and takes his hand. "It'll still be fine."

"How?"

The younger brushes his thumb over the back of the older boy's hand. "Because," Kazunari whispers as he leans in closer, "I'll still love you, no matter what fate says."

Midorima turns to face the other man and their gazes meet. It's dark in Midorima's room but the moonlight that shined through the windows was enough to illuminate their faces. It was clear that there was a flurry of emotions lying in their eyes. Love, worry, comfort, fear, and more all muddled together. Kazunari smiles at his boyfriend. Midorima tries to smile back but it falters when he fails to hide the bitterness in it.

23:57. Midorima sighs. "I love you, too. I know you know that. But…"

"But?"

"That's why I don't want to try to take things into my own hands. I love you, I really do, but I don't want to get in your way of finding something, someone better. I don't want to ruin what the universe says is meant for you," Midorima rambles off as tears threaten to fall from his eyes.

23:58. Takao frowns.

"When have you ever ruined anything for me?" he says as he wipes the other's tears away. He holds Midorima's head in his hands and presses their foreheads together. Midorima shut his eyes and breathed heavily.

"Shintarou?"

"I'm sorry, Takao," Midorima whispers back.

Takao's eyes flutter open. Midorima senses it and follows suit.

23:59. They gaze at each other. What lies in Midorima's eyes has become unclear and it sends a pang to the younger boy's chest. _I wish I knew what to say to make you feel okay._

"Don't be sorry. Things may change after this, and I'm okay with that. I can't dictate how you feel. But before that happens, I just want you to know this…"

Kazunari smiles and though there's a strong ache in his heart, it's as genuine as it could ever be.

"I love you, Shin-chan. _You_ are the best thing I could ever ask for."

Right before the minute is over, their lips meet.

00:00. Their kiss was bittersweet. Midorima's heart ached as he thought about the flower he never had, but in that moment he couldn't care less. In that moment, all that mattered to them was that despite the universe's decision, Midorima Shintarou and Kazunari Takao were in love.

•••

**_November 14th_ **

As he promised, Midorima tried to not let things get to him. Whenever Takao looked at him, held his hand, walked by his side, or told him he loved him, the older boy gave the best smile he could even if it pains him to think about how no matter how much he loved the other, they aren't and never will be meant to be. It hurts him to know that the universe he had trusted so much and the stars he held so dearly were the same ones telling him he can't be with the boy he feels so happy to be with. It hurts him to think about how there could be someone out there who deserves to be with Takao much more than Midorima thinks he does, yet Takao still chooses him. And it hurts even more when the universe concludes his thoughts when Midorima finally notices the bud growing on the back of his boyfriend's hand.

Midorima looks at the fragile bud sticking out of Takao's skin as the other is napping on his chest. He wraps his arms around the younger boy and gently pulls him closer.

It's not like it's new information to him, since he knew him and Takao weren't meant to be ever since he turned eighteen, but no matter how many months flew by, Midorima just doesn't have it in him to accept it.

He just couldn't do it. Midorima is one to let fate and luck guide him, whether it was in small decisions like what tasks to do that day or important life-changing decisions he won't be able to undo. But no matter how important the soulmate system is to him, he just can't bring himself to go with the flow of fate. How could he? He wants to listen to what the universe is telling him, but he can't just ignore the never-ending love he has for Takao.

It felt strange to not let the stars guide him. It made him feel uneasy, like something would go wrong. But he's deeply in love with the man lying in his arms and he just can't help but want to be selfish.

_Can't I just ignore the signs? Can't we just run away and spend our lifetimes together? Can't I just be selfish and say he's mine?_

Midorima knows the answers to his own questions but still he prays, hopes, wishes for a message from the stars. Something to change his mind. Something to tell him that it's okay to run away with the boy he loves. Something to tell him that he isn't selfish for being in love even though he knows it isn't meant to be. But that message doesn't come. After all, all the signs were already right in front him. All the answers to his questions lied in the hands that wer resting above his heart. The bud sticking out on the back of Takao's hands that told Midorima there was someone else destined for his boyfriend, and Midorima's empty hand that reminded him of how unlucky he was.

Though he was too stubborn to accept it, Midorima knew that no matter what he does, no matter how many times he prays and wishes, no matter how hard he tries to change the flow of fate, and no matter how much he loves the man he's holding in his arms, he'll never be able to change the fact that they weren't meant to be.

•••

**_November 20th, moments before midnight_ **

Midorima and Takao sat by the window sill. Midorima was uneasy as he thought about what will come next. Takao turned his head to gaze at him, but sighed when he saw Shintarou nervously eyeing the bud. He wraps his arms around the other's waist and rests his head on Shintarou's shoulder.

"Do you still remember what I told you before your birthday?" Takao asks as he looks at the night sky.

Midorima nods silently in reply as he raises his hand to gently stroke Takao's hair.

"Well, I still feel the same way."

Takao bites his lip. "You know… The whole soulmate thing… It never made sense to me."

Midorima already knew this, as Takao didn't personally believe in the stars the same way he did. He nodded in reply, kept silent, and let Takao continue.

"I just don't think all these things like luck, zodiacs, and fate should be the one telling me what I should and shouldn't do."

Takao pulls away and their gazes meet. "But I love you, Shin-chan. Even if they don't make sense to me, if it means your happiness then I won't stop you from enjoying those things."

He raises his hand between them. "You know all the flowers' meanings, right?" Takao asks as gazes at the bud.

"Yes, I do," Midorima mutters.

"And you know which one this is, right?" Takao asks, to which Midorima responds with a nod.

"Do you mind telling me what this one means?" the other asks as he gently twirls his finger around the soon-to-be flower.

Shintarou takes Kazunari's hand into his, silently staring at the bud before he speaks. "Tulips… usually symbolize deep, perfect love."

Takao hears this and smiles, hints of bitterness lying beneath it. "It's just funny to me," Takao says as he squeezes the older boy's hand. "Everyone adores these messages so much yet none of them are real. People make up all these messages just to find an explanation to the way things are and the things they do. It's like what they do with other things, like luck and zodiacs. If I wanted to, I could give this same flower my own meaning."

"Which would be…?" Midorima asks as he pushes strands of hair away from Takao's face. His hand lingers on his cheek and they're both gaze into each others eyes.

"Well," Takao begins as he wraps his arms around Midorima's neck, making sure to keep his eyes locked with the other's. "It does remind me of love, too, but when I think of love, all I can think about is you."

Takao's eyes shift to different parts of Midorima-- his eyes, his hair, his neck, his lips-- before flicking back to his eyes clouded by all sorts of emotions. "To me, love is you and nobody else. That's what this flower means to me..."

Takao struggles to smile. "If you want to believe in what the universe says this flower means, then I'm okay with that."

Midorima's close to crying and he knows Takao is too from how he's beginning to choke on his words. He holds Takao's face in his hands and wipes away the tears that are building up in his eyes.

Despite his tears and the pain he feels in his chest, Takao feels happy being in Midorima's presence. He inches closer to the other and looks at him with love.

"I love you, Shintarou," Kazunari whispers.

"I love you, too, Kazunari," Shintarou whispers back, "but…"

"The soulmate thing?"

"I don't want to ruin what's meant for you."

"I already told you-- you're not ruining anything," Kazunari reassures him. "At least that's what I think."

Kazunari strokes the back of Shintarou's head. "If you believe in what the universe tells you-- that we shouldn't be together-- then that's fine. I don't want to force you into something that you don't want."

"But the thing is I do want to be with you. I love you so much and loving you is all I ever want to do," Shintarou says.

"Then you don't need to let the universe dictate your every move. You can believe in what the stars, fate, and every other thing tells you, but it doesn't mean you have to let it control you completely."

"I know what this soulmate thing's supposed to mean, but that doesn't matter to me. Even if it promises good fortune, perfect love, or happiness, who it says I'm meant to be with isn't important to me. To me, all the universe is telling me tells is that no matter what happens, no matter what fate says, and no matter what flower blooms, I'll always love you."

And that's it. That's all Midorima wanted to hear. It's what he was praying, hoping, wishing to hear. That's all he needed to feel at ease. He smiles. His heart feels heavy but he still smiles.

"I'll always love you, too," Shintarou whispers back.

Just as midnight comes, Shintarou closes the gap between him and Kazunari. It's not like it's their first kiss but Midorima's heart feels full, like the feeling of Takao's lips on his is one he wants to experience everyday. Like he couldn't feel more in love.

At the back of his neck, he can feel the flower on Takao's hand blooming as it presses against his skin. It worries him for a moment. What if things don't work out? What if the future is filled with misfortune? What if he should've listened to the stars? But he shakes the thoughts away since after all, it doesn't matter too much to him. Because right now, all he cared about was the boy he was kissing. All Shintarou could care about was how much loved him, and how much Kazunari loved him back. The flower that reminded him of how cruel fate can be didn't matter to Midorima Shintarou, a well-known believer of luck and fate, because in this moment, all he cared about was that they were in love no matter what fate says.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! this is one of the first pieces ive finished so i hope it wasnt too corny ><


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